


Garden of Eden

by TheMulletWhisperer



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dating, F/F, First Meetings, Fluff, Hotels, Intense, London, Lunch, Other Bombastic Adjectives, Paragon Commander Shepard, Pre-Mass Effect 1, Shore Leave, Slow Burn, Tourism, juicy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-09-19 20:34:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9459422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMulletWhisperer/pseuds/TheMulletWhisperer
Summary: Sometimes fate dictates that people meet by chance, and not by rule.What if Shepard and Traynor fell in love before the Reapers?Before Saren and the Geth?Before either of their lives crumbled.





	1. Sunrise

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a multi-chapter series but I have no idea how many chapters. I'm going to push myself to finish it though, just don't expect super-regular updates because my focus is bad like that.

Far above the ground, above London, colorful models of skycar zipped past each-other with the familiar whir of the tuned engines. On the blue backdrop, they looked almost like fish swimming about. Fish that swam faster than the fastest human could hope to run. 

_ Fish that have thousand-degree plasma propelling them forward, and also they painted flames on their sides to make themselves look like they’re going faster. _

Jane blinked a couple of times, having just realized that her eyes were drying out and burning in the worst way. She looked forward once again, across the River Thames where Big Ben sat, splitting the rays of the early-morning sun right down the middle and placing the marine and her bench right in the shade. 

“This is so fucking boring.” Shepard finally spoke, peeling herself off the back of the bench, resting her elbows on her knees and dragging her palms down her freckled face, and then back up through her strawberry-red hair. “Shore leave can bite me, ‘Go see the sunrise’, they said, ‘it’ll be fun’, they said. I’ve never been so  _ bored _ .” Irritated, she continued rambling to herself, only tapering off to a stop when she noticed the odd looks from several passerby.

Heaving a sigh, the redhead stood up, stretching with a groan before shaking her limbs loose, running her fingers along her jaw and looking around the immediate area for  _ anything  _ to do, before eventually she decided she needed breakfast. 

As she brought her forearm up to check her omni-tool, a message automatically opened it for her with a small  _ ding _ . Pausing in her tracks, she brought up the message. The name at the top was one she recognized--or rather, the address. It came from Alliance command, who--judging by the subject line--was sending out their obligatory ‘congratulations’ to the soldier who’d won the Star of Terra. An expected formality, and one she didn’t particularly want to indulge. Without scrolling down to read the actual message, she marked it as such  and promptly backed out of the messaging screen in favor of tracking down somewhere to eat that was open at 0630.

Not being due for her check-in at the hotel until 0800, she had quite a bit of time to kill. 

Eventually, she tracked down a place with a high holonet rating that was open, and nearby. Never before had she such appreciated being somewhere so densely-packed.

Closing her omni-tool interface down, she started down the sidewalk, turning the nearest corner in search of a taxi  rental. Once again, it didn’t take long to find, only a block or so away. Another wonder of city infrastructure. 

Jane approached the kiosk, just in time to catch the last skycar before anyone else got to it. Lifting her hand to begin tapping in her destination, she was suddenly stopped by a panicked “WAIT!” from one of the locals, judging by the distinct accent. 

With a soft, barely-audible sigh, she turned around and was met with a dark-skinned woman, wearing collar-length black hair and clutching several--what looked to be--textbooks to her chest. “Wait, please, I haven’t been able to catch one of these yet and I’ll be  _ really really _ late for class if I don’t get one. I-I can pay you! Look, I have...two hundred credits. That’s out of my toothbrush fund but you can have it, I just  _ really _ need this taxi!”

Indeed, she did look very desperate, giving Shepard a long pause before she responded. Eventually, she gave a little smile--however forced through her growling stomach--and stepped aside. “No need, go on. I can catch the next one.”

The woman sighed so hard that Jane swore she could see the skycar move a few inches, “Oh, thank you thank you thank you! You’re the best!” Without any pause at all, she tapped in her destination on the pad and the skycar opened up, taking off as soon as the doors had closed.

Watching the skycar take off, Shepard turned back towards the horizon, the sun having pierced the dull gray of the early morning. More restaurants were no doubt opening, and that’d mean more people to make her wait for her breakfast.

Once again, she pulled up her omni-tool, checking the GPS once again for the exact location. Glancing up, she tried to figure exactly where she’d be going on foot, before eventually concluding that the city was simply far too maze-like, and resigning herself to wait for a taxi.

“Shore leave can  _ totally _ bite me.”


	2. Flamingo

Through the glass of the storefront, Jane stared at the single eye, unblinkingly staring back at her. Locked in an epic battle of the wits, she bore a hole right through the pupil of her opponent, determined to win in whatever the hell she was doing. Behind her, the midday foot traffic moved at a breakneck pace, but for all the activity, Shepard existed in a separate state, a flux in time, pure, hardened determination replacing the space-time continuum. 

All of a sudden, eye contact was broken as the plastic lawn flamingo was very slowly and carefully removed from the window by a shopkeep who was looking at the redhead like she was absolutely insane. Without much to say in response to the look, Jane just tracked the pink bird until it’d disappeared into the back of the shop. Satisfied with her win, she  turned back to join the rest of the world. 

However, it seemed the world didn’t quite want her back yet, as it’d sent a representative to distract her--the black-haired woman who’d taken her taxi almost two days ago, and only now could Shepard get a good look at just how pretty she was.

The two stared at each-other for a few moments before the woman spoke, “That’s impressive, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone win a staring contest with a plastic lawn bird before.” With a smile on her face, she crossed her arms and shifted her weight onto her back foot.

In a desperate attempt to play it cool and not like she’d just spent the last ten minutes staring at a lawn ornament, Jane leaned back against the brickwork that housed the glass she’d just been looking through, crossing her arms and legs. “I’ve taken on entire teams of Batarian pirates, flightless birds don’t stand a chance.” She gave an exaggerated swipe of her thumb across the tip of her nose, trying to look casual.

“Flamingos can fly, I hate to break it to you.” The dark-skinned woman smirked even harder, although it wasn’t cocky or braggy, simply amused.

“Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure that one couldn’t fly.” Shepard jabbed a thumb over her shoulder, soliciting a slight laugh from her conversation partner. “You know, I don’t think I ever got your name. Last time I checked it was impolite to steal a girl’s taxi without giving her your name.” 

_ Fucking nailed it, Jane, that was by far the best joke you’ve ever made, you should go on tour.  _

Across from Jane, oblivious to her inner struggles with being about as funny as a heart attack, the woman stood upright, although kept her arms crossed. “Hmm...you first, after all, you could be a serial murderer.”

Shepard lifted her open hands, displaying her palms. “Point taken. Jane Shepard, Alliance navy.” 

As soon as the words left her lips, the poor woman looked like she was about to stroke out as she scrambled to attention. A very sloppy attention that made it obvious she wasn’t in the military, but an attention nonetheless. “Oh, I’m so sorry Commander! I didn’t recognize you! I’m Samantha Traynor, I’m training at Oxford University!”

If she hadn’t looked so panicked, Jane would’ve thought she was joking. As it stood, though, she couldn’t stomach making the situation worse than it already was on the girl’s heart. “Well, you should brush up on Alliance faces, last time I forgot someone I was thrown into a river on Thessia.”

Nevermind.

“O-of course, ma’am, so sorry, ma’am! Excuse me, ma’am, I have to go get...something!” Her last word was just barely squeaked out before she took off running in the opposite direction, leaving Jane once again alone in the streets of London, totally confused.

As she pushed up off the wall, she gave a fleeting glance to the window behind her--and a double take, catching a veritable army of pink flamingos standing there, watching her. She knew a losing situation when she saw one. Backing up ever so slowly, she eventually turned and ran the other direction as well.

_ Not today, flamingos.  _

_ Not today. _


	3. Arrest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter three! If it seems like I wasn't having a good run of things with this one, it's thanks to me working through this damn writer's block.

Jane stepped out of her skycar onto the Presidium, clipping the sleeves of her alliance fatigues back into place and smoothing out the cloth cover on the uniform’s padding. As her boots met the metal walkways of the Citadel, she breathed a sigh of relief, almost  _ happy  _ to be back on Earth. Sure, it was the home of humankind, but it also smelled bad and didn’t have environmental controls.

Having spent most of her childhood moving from ship to ship, deck to deck, going planetside was, to her, what it was like for most shoresides to go up into space--ironically alien. 

Past the thin dividing glass, skycars zipped past, leaving in their wake only a momentary hum of energy before it sped out of sight, the occasional C-Sec cruiser flying past with its sirens on in pursuit of one suspect or another. None of this was of much care to Jane, however, as she started straight for her favorite restaurant. Although it was fast food--not exactly top-of-the-line food--she enjoyed it more than most of the over-prepared shellfish that the establishments on Earth sold.

Nearly brushing right past what looked to be an arrest in progress, Shepard caught the sound of a voice she recognized from Earth. The only voice she recognized from Earth.

Performing a 180 on her heel, she approached the Turian officer, taking down details from the protesting bystander. “Officer, I swear, it wasn’t me! I wasn’t even nearby!” Traynor protested adamantly, looking equal parts angry and terrified. With an exasperated roll of his eyes, the officer tapped a few things into his datapad, repeating a question that sounded like it’d been asked several times already, “Listen, citizen, I’m not  _ accusing _ you of anything, just tell me if you were there and we can all go home.”

“Of course I wasn’t there, I already told you that!” Samantha was just as exasperated as the Turian did, desperate to get out of the situation. Her shoulders sagged slightly and her hands covered her face, producing total darkness for a few moments before she removed them.

With a slight flick of his mandibles, the officer pulled up something on the datapad that she couldn’t quite make out, scanning it over with his sky blue eyes for a few moments, “Witness reports say they saw a dark-skinned human female with a black fringe fleeing the scene of the crime. You match that description.”

Sam ran a hand absently through her hair as it was mentioned, slightly confused at the “Fringe? I don’t...listen, I just  _ got _ here, check the taxi logs, I’m coming from the Wards!” Nodding in agreement, the Turian stepped away for a moment, speaking into his omni-tool--seemingly chatting with someone--before returning, putting the datapad away. “Sorry for the mixup, ma’am. You’re free to go.”

“About time! Thank you!” Although she spoke in a genuine thanks, she couldn’t help the annoyance that seeped into her voice from the whole debacle. Nonetheless, she couldn’t particularly stay mad, and she was never one to hold a grudge. 

Sam reached into her bag to fish around for her datapad when she felt a tap on her shoulder, drawing a surprised yelp from her, leading to her launching herself a few feet forward and turning around, only to be faced with the amused look of Commander Shepard. Dumbfounded for a few moments, she wondered if she was hallucinating until the Commander opened her mouth and asked something that she couldn’t quite make out, before she snapped to attention. “Commander! Sorry, Commander, I--” Her gesture of respect was quickly cut off as Shepard took a few steps closer.

“Don’t freak out, Traynor, I’m not on-duty right now.” The earnest smile that the Commander gave was enough to alleviate some of Samantha’s suspicion, and the relaxed stance she took eliminated it entirely as she herself let her muscles loosen up.

“Sorry, Commander. I’m just not used to meeting such important people!” Despite herself, Traynor couldn’t help sounding a bit excited.

“Oh come on, I’m not  _ that _ important. I’d hate to see what you’d do if you met an Admiral, you’d probably have a stroke.” 

“I...well…” Sam couldn’t do much more than nod after a moment, unable to come up with any real retort to the quip. “Admirals don’t tend to be impressed by people whose sole experience comes from playing chess.”

Shepard lifted a brow across at her, setting the Specialist a bit on-edge. “Chess, huh? Can’t say I’ve ever played that. Maybe a game sometime, yeah?” Sam could well have been hallucinating from the panic, or maybe the Commander was just having a stroke, but she could’ve sworn that she noticed a slight curve at the corner of the other woman’s mouth as she said that.

Regardless, she shrugged it off as nothing more than a mistaken sight and chuckled, “Perhaps so, it is a  _ terribly _ complex game though, if you want to learn you should probably find a better teacher than I am.”

_ Maybe you’re the one having the stroke, Traynor. _

“I’ll keep that in mind. Until then--I’ve got to get some food in me or I’m afraid I’ll starve to death right here. Care to join?” Sam could barely believe her ears--so much so that she stared blankly for a few moments before she remembered how to speak--just long enough for Shepard to start shooting her an odd look.

“Hmm? Oh, yes, I’d love to! Where are we going?” The woman pointed just back behind her to the fast food restaurant. 

“Not exactly the fanciest place, but you’d be surprised.” 

_ We don’t eat fast food, Traynor. _

_ We also don’t get invited to eat with the Lion of Elysium! _

_ Yes, b-- _

_ No buts, hush! _

  
“Alright!” She responded in a chipper tone that surprised even her as she started for the establishment, hot on the Commander’s heels as they went to give themselves cardiac arrest.


	4. Juicy

Throughout the burger joint, soft music played, a beat fast enough that it wouldn’t be out of place in a club, but with a soothing sound, almost as if it was meant to distract people from what was around them, the unhealthy food, the unsavory company that most people who went out to burger joints with friends would keep, and whatever else may detract from the experience of giving yourself diabetes.

If that was the case, it failed. Traynor couldn’t keep her eyes off of the most beautiful thing in the restaurant. Layers of red, freckled with the most lovely dots, perfect curves, a smell to rival ambrosia, perfectly rounded and incredibly juicy. Sam couldn’t wait to get her mouth on it and eat with all her might, the juices...the tasty, tasty…

The woman was so enamored with the sight of her BLT that she hardly noticed the waiter trying to hand it to her. “Uh...ma’am, are you alright?” The Asari gave her a bit of a concerned look that felt out of place with Shepard sitting across the table, sporting a raised brow and an amused grin. “What? Oh...sorry. Yes, that’s mine.” She cleared the spot in front of her and placed both hands in her lap, having to fight back a slight smile at the sight of the food.

For most people, such food was commonplace--or at least available at a moment’s notice. Thanks to the intensity of her studying, along with the number of classes she had gave her little time to eat much more than synthesized ration packs. Being able to afford the gourmet Ramen being sold in the lower wards was a luxury she could only dream of.

“You okay there, Traynor? You’re looking at that thing like you’ve never seen food before.” Previously forgotten about--at least temporarily--Jane returned with a vengeance, her tone more amused than her smirk. Never in her life would Traynor have imagined a Navy commander to be so...laid-back. Every time they were brought up in class they were in their dress blues with collars rigid enough to decapitate someone, looking over their subordinates as if they were ants. Not Shepard, though. There was something...special about her.

“Yes! Sorry, I just...don’t usually get to eat this kind of thing back at Oxford.” Although she was conflicted as to whether she should keep speaking or not, it seemed her brain was already playing tug-of-war and finally came to a compromise. Her hands, moving on their own, crammed the first bite of the burger into her mouth while she was trying to talk, not quite registering that she was still trying to for almost a second before she shut up and just enjoyed the taste.

All at once, flavors she’d forgotten over time came rushing back in a massive flood of beautiful taste. The juices of the beef, the lettuce, the bacon and the tomato mixed into a sumptuous nectar, sweet and savory at the same time, as the fresh vegetables and crispy strips of pork crunched in a perfectly crispy way.

Traynor was barely finished swallowing the first bite when she took another one, the same flavor replaying across her taste buds. Although a third was incredibly enticing, she had to put the burger down to take a drink. As she finally returned to the conversation, Jane was looking at her a bit oddly--as were the patrons at the table next to her. In fact, most of the restaurant had fallen quiet and was just...staring at her. And she wasn’t sure why. And she didn’t want to know.

Standing up quickly, she grabbed her drink and made for the door quickly, hanging her head in embarrassment, before she realized she’d forgotten something. Turning back, she grabbed the burger with her free hand, debating trying to drag Shepard with her but deciding it best not to and simply leave in shame, idly munching the burger on her way out.

_ Way to score, Traynor. Way to score. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the next chapter will be longer, most of this has just been setup for them getting into the real talking and the like. Going to shoot for at -least- 1k words! :D


	5. Fish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY BROKE 1K WORDS WOOT

Damn near running from the diner, Sam kept her eyes towards the ground, still feeling the blood burning her face to cinders. In one hand, she carried her now-neglected meal, and the soda that was going flat in her other. Even though she was almost 100% sure that most of the people passing weren’t in the diner to witness...whatever it was that she’d done, it didn’t dissuade her from flinching every time someone she caught someone glancing her way from her peripheral vision. 

Traynor’s mind was racing as she hurried along the Presidium, wracking her brain in thought as she tried to process what exactly she’d done and exactly how much she’d embarrassed Commander Shepard. The one chance she had to actually know someone important, and she blew it. She blew it harder than she’d ever done before. 

Braking near a skycar, the newly-christened Specialist reached out to punch a destination into the terminal, only to find that both of her hands were too full to do so. Several seconds of thought later, she began attempting to put in the destination with her elbows when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

With a jump and a yelp, she tripped forward and very nearly spilled her drink all over the console, but luckily, she managed to save both food and beverage, turning around slowly and with wide eyes as the adrenaline pumped through her veins. Flush with pride at averting a terrible crisis, the newly-blooded hunter was bodyslammed back down to reality as she was met face-to-face with Shepard, brow quirked and that seemingly-perpetual look of amusement on that beautiful, freckled face that she just wished she could touch and kiss and…

“Traynor?” Shepard’s punched through the spontaneous fantasy like a brick through a window. 

_ Shit, what was that, Sam?! _

_ I don’t know! She’s really pretty! _

_ Speak, you twit! _

“Eh...uh…” 

_ Good job. _

“Sorry! Sorry, Commander, what were you saying?” Traynor blinked a couple of times, putting on a sheepish grin a few moments after as her brain caught up.

“What was that in there? You alright?” There was more concern in Shepard’s voice than Sam had expected, that almost ever-present hint of amusement now totally gone.

“Kind of? Yes, I’m fine. I didn’t mean to embarrass you, Commander, I’m sorry.” Traynor’s voice wavered between tones, unsure entirely of what to say. With several things to say, she had apparently opted to say all of them at once. Composing herself, she steeled herself to ask the question that was really on her mind, “Uh...what...exactly did I do in there?”

Jane perked a brow at this, remaining silent just long enough to make Sam nervous again before she spoke, “Do you really not know?” That answer was enough to make her really not  _ want _ to, but against her better judgement, she nodded back. As Shepard reached up to tuck an errant strand of red hair behind her ear, she gave a little snicker, “Well, you know the noises you hear from a room where someone’s having really good sex?” The blush that was originally present in Sam’s face disappeared as the blood drained and she went pale. “Those were the sounds you were making.”

All at once, the blood that had rushed away from her face rushed right back like it was training for a marathon, and this time it’d brought friends. Her face felt like it was about to burst into flames as she stammered for a response, “O-o...oh my! I’m so...I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to! It’s just--well, you know, I haven’t had anything like that in a long time and it tastes  _ really _ good and I’d even say maybe it’s my favorite meal but, like I said, I haven’t had it in years and now that--” She was cut off by the sight of Shepard laughing, and--without being able to stop herself--she scowled a bit, “Hey, why are you laughing?!” Almost immediately, she regretted it, gasping and placing a hand over her mouth, “I’m sorry Commander! I didn’t mean to say that, please forgive me, sometimes I just can’t stop myself and...oh god!” 

Now in a mode of total panic, Sam took the opportunity she saw as Shepard was near doubled over with laughter and trying to speak. She ran, forgetting both her food and drink at the console and pushing through the crowd until she couldn’t see the Commander any longer. Ducking into the nearest shop she could find--an exotic fish store--she stared at the tank in front of her, a small kiosk just next to it on the counter with a small quantity of brown flakes inside, with a sign above reading ‘Feed The Fish!’

“No!” She shouted at the sign, giving the Salarian shopkeep a start. “Sorry!” Once again, she apologized as the poor man looked like he’d just heard a bomb go off. Shuffling off to the side, she continued to stare at the fish as she battled herself in her own mind.

_Come on Traynor! Just once_ ** _don’t_** _be weird._

_ Shut up! I was trying not to! _

_ You yelled at  _ **_Commander Shepard_ ** _! _ _   
_

_ I’m well aware of what I did!  _

_ You ruined our chances! _

_ Hush up, I know! _

_ Good luck finding an opportunity like th-- _

_ I said hush! Stop berating me! _

_ You’re talking to yourself, you know. _

_ I know! Hush! _

Just as suddenly as she’d arrived, Sam left the shop, leaving behind the still-bewildered clerk in order to forge ahead to a skycar console so she could get out before she broke something or killed someone.

“Hey, Traynor!” A voice called from behind her, one that she recognized all too well, by now. It seems Shepard was still giving chase.

Spinning on her heel, she looked rather worried as the redhead approached her once again, a smile still plastered on her pale face. “What? Sorry. I mean, what’s wrong?” 

_ One sentence, Traynor, one sentence without apologizing? _

“Hey, glad I caught up with you. Listen, I didn’t mean to laugh at you, it was just  _ really _ funny. Which probably isn’t the best defense. Sorry.” Although she was apologizing as well--and seemingly sincerely--she still exuded confidence that Sam simply didn’t have. “I didn’t mean to make you feel weird, seriously.”

Traynor thought her words over for a few moments before she nodded, scratching her neck. “Thanks, Commander.”

“You can call me Shepard, I’m not on-duty, Traynor.”

“Right, sorry Command--Shepard.” She gave a little smile, still somewhat put-off.

“Perfect. Hey, I’ve got to be somewhere, but this was fun. Let me just…” Shepard pulled up her omni-tool and tapped in a few commands, Sam’s beeping shortly after. “There you go, there’s my holocom frequency. Give me a call  sometime, yeah?”

Pulling up her forearm, she looked at the omni-tool, unsure of exactly how to take the gesture before simply smiling and nodding.

  
“I’d like that, Commander.


	6. Valentine's Special

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is a re-upload of this chapter. I did quite a bit of editing to the latter half, which was...less than stellar, thanks to my state at the time of writing. Namely, withdrawl from my anxiety medications and an incredibly HUNGER THAT COULD ONLY BE SATED BY food.
> 
> Thanks to @fishbone79 for helping me figure out how to make this chapter less shit :D

_ Fornax: Issue #136 - Buxom Batarians and Sultry Salarians! _

Shepard stared down at the hardcopy of the magazine that she’d had on backorder from months ago. Why she’d bothered to pay the ridiculous weekly fee was beyond her. All those credits combined could net her at  _ least _ the next four issues plus a tube of toothpaste. Now, though, that afterthought was for nothing.

_ Hindsight is 20/20, I guess. _

_ Jane, you’re debating your personal porn budget right now. This is pathetic.  _

_ Point taken, but am I wrong? _

Heaving a soft sigh, she pushed her credit chit across the counter to the clerk, covering the last payment and turning back to the displays and aisles, giving a last glance to the magazine in her hand before...turning  _ back _ around and addressing the Asari behind the counter. “How many more of these do you have?” Keeping her expression firm in the face of the odd look being shot to her across the counter, the Commander readied her credit chit as the alien woman began rooting through the inventory she had on hand.

_ You know, Jane, you could be out at lunch with Traynor right now. Instead you’re blowing all your credits on twenty pages of naked Elcor. _

Decidedly brushing off the voice in her head, Shepard flipped open the first couple of pages of the magazine she had on hand, perusing the selection she’d waited so long for. The very first picture she saw gave her reason for a double take. The couple portrayed on the page--engaged in incredibly explicit acts in a fragmented, comic-book style--looked  _ strikingly  _ similar to Samantha and herself, right down to the red hair, freckles…

No, wait, it was a Krogan and a Salarian. 

Jane blinked several times, slowly, trying to comprehend what exactly had just happened to her brain. In fairness to her, Traynor  _ was _ really skinny, just like the Salarian, and she herself  _ did  _ look like that male Krogan with the red headplate. 

_ How is he even fitting that in th-- _

“Shepard?” A familiar, very British voice from behind her snapped Shepard out of her thought and she spun on her heels, only vaguely processing the sound of the Asari behind her placing the thin-paged magazines on the plasteel counter. Nor did she seem to process the fact that she was holding a magazine that was open to a Salarian having physically-impossible sex with a four-testiclled giant.

“Huh?! Hi! What’re you doing here Sala--Sam?” Reduced to mere stutters and half-comprehensible attempts at small talk, Jane Shepard--much like a Roulette player--had the tables turned on her. She could only stand in a hopeful silence as the woman dragged her eyes from the magazines on the counter, to the one in her hand, to the blush that was beginning to so perfectly match Jane’s hair. 

Eventually, the Specialist’s face split into a grin that could only have been taught by the Commander, and her eyes gleamed in boundless amusement as she caught Shepard red-handed (and red-faced) in what was likely the most embarrassing moment in her life. “Commander. Taking in the culture, I see?” That usual meekness was gone, replaced by a smug grin and an amused tone. It’d be easy to knock her right back to that nervous person she’d gone to the diner with--a survival tactic that Jane had to try very hard not to resort to.

A thought hit her as she shut the magazine and placed it on top of the large stack behind her, one that she couldn’t help but voice, “Yeah? And what is it that  _ you’re _ doing here, Specialist?” Although the shop stocked novels, most of them were either erotica, or second-rate at best. Even a self-professed bookworm like Traynor likely wouldn’t be reading cheap novels published by a novelist working as a barista. A theory that was confirmed with her response to this.

Tensing up, Traynor shifted slightly, fiddling with the hem of her t-shirt, idly running her free hand over the text that read ‘It’s a knight, not a horsy’. She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, looking around the shop and very clearly trying to formulate a response that wouldn’t incriminate her. The silence dragged on--likely longer than she intended--before she finally broke it. “Oh, you know. I was here to pick up an order for a friend.” Sam gave her best attempt at looking nonchalant, but ultimately just looking like she was trying to look nonchalant. 

“And would this order happen to be a copy of Fornax?” 

“I have no idea. They didn’t...tell me, you know. What they were...anyway! How are you doing?” Traynor paused for just a moment, cutting off Shepard just as she went to speak, “Nevermind! Sorry, I’ll leave you to...this.” Just as quickly as it’d come, that confidence she’d shown off went away again as Traynor turned to walk off, very clearly blushing even from behind her. If only that’s where Jane’s eyes had tracked to. 

_ How could someone so nerdy have such a nice ass? _

Slipping back into reality as said ass began growing distant, Shepard made to catch up, rushing to the entrance of the store and leaving a rather perplexed shopkeep behind her. “Hey, wait!” Sam nearly tripped over her own two feet as she debated whether or not to stop, eventually turning around to face the redhead approaching her.

“Yes? What...” She paused for a few moments, composing herself. “Sorr--yes? What did you need, Shepard?” She hadn’t felt this embarrassed in a long time, not even when everyone had been staring at her in that restaurant. 

_ Get yourself together, Sam! _

“Hey, I’m glad I caught you, actually,” Shepard’s choice of words forced Sam to fight back a blush with all her might, thankfully winning the battle and remaining uncompromised. Externally. “I was about to send you a message, I was hoping you could swing by my room down in the Wards, I got something for you.”

Unsure of how to respond to the invitation, Traynor waited for the punchline that never came, forced to come to terms with the fact that there wasn’t going to  _ be _ a punchline and she was actually being invited to the Commander’s room. 

_ She’d better not be trying to get me into her bed. _

_ Don’t pretend you wouldn’t love that.  _

_ Hush it! _

“Um..sure! Is right now okay? Because...well, I’m not really doing anything right now.” Sam shuffled her feet, giving a slight grin.

“What, not even going to go back and pick up that order for your ‘friend’?” Although she felt a retort rising in her throat, the wink the Commander gave stifled it. “Yeah, now works just fine. Come on, let’s grab a taxi before we’re forced to walk all the way there.” With that, Shepard began walking, leaving Traynor to play catch-up with a surprising quickness.

“So, what exactly is this ‘something’ you’ve got for me, Commander?” Now that they’d evacuated the danger zone that was the shop, and Shepard proven that she indeed still didn’t hate her, some of Sam’s fear drained away as they walked in near-perfect unison.

“Nope. That’s a secret that I can’t spoil.” If her tone hadn’t been so playful, Sam would’ve worried that she was irritated. Luckily, everything seemed hunky-dory. For the moment, at least.

_ Come  _ **_on_ ** _ , Traynor. She’s already put up with you long enough, I don’t think anything can drive her off now. Calm down! _

_ But-- _

_ Calm! _

_ Right. Calm. _

Taking a deep breath, she let go of the remainder of her nerves, realizing only then how much tension she had carrying. Cracking a small smile as she shot a subtle glance at the redhead walking alongside her, she turned her attention to the skycar kiosk that stood only a few steps away.

With only one car left, the stakes were high and the competition fierce. A scarred Krogan, standing tall above either of them and clad in full-body armor lumbered for the terminal, grumbling quietly to himself. 

Scanning the immediate area, Sam made a snap decision, calling back to everything she’d learned at Oxford. “Oh my god!” She cried out suddenly, making certain that the Krogan could see her pointing towards the opposite end of the Presidium with a horrified look plastered on her face.

_ Drama lessons coming in handy. _

The Krogan’s reaction bought the two of them enough time to reach the terminal, although, unfortunately, not enough time for the beast to take notice of the two of them and pick his speed up from snail crawling through glue to snail crawling through slightly less glue.

“Hey! That’s mine!” Sam jumped violently at the boom of their competitor’s voice as Shepard hurriedly worked to punch in the pair’s destination. Unfortunately, not quick enough. Survival instinct kicking in, Sam grabbed Shepard by the arm and pulled the confused Commander away from the terminal in a surprising display of strength, pushing the redheaded soldier in front of her and bringing her to face the angry Krogan, cowering ever-so-heroically behind the stronger of the two.

Jane remained quiet for a half a second before she caught up with what was happening. Then she...continued to remain quiet. In fact, the only noise that Sam could hear was the breathing of all three of them. Peeking her eyes open, she looked up to try to get a gauge on what was happen. Shepard and the Krogan seemed to just be...staring at one-another. Unblinking. It felt like a staring contest where whoever blinked would be pummeled into mulch. 

Luckily, no such thing happened. Several seconds passed before the Krogan sneered and seemed to give up, backing off and letting them both take the skycar.

Gratefully, Sam piled into the car after Shepard did, shutting the door and breathing out a sigh of relief as they took off. “How did you do that? You defeated him by...staring at him.”   


Shepard gave a slight laugh and reclined in her seat, resting both her hands behind her head. “You just gotta know how Krogan act. Staring contests are a staple of their rituals. Whoever wins becomes the clan leader.”

Traynor paused for several seconds, unsure if she should believe her or not. Eventually, she settled on a simple, “Really?”

Suddenly, Shepard sat up, losing that cocky look. “Nope. I had no idea if that was going to work, we probably could’ve died or something.”

“Oh…” Sam blinked a few times, letting that sink in before she spoke again. “Well...at least we didn’t!” Raising a finger and pointing at her, Shepard gave a nonverbal confirmation, reclining once again and relaxing as the skycar sped through traffic.

\--/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/--

The flight went by quickly, the pair arriving at the hotel room within ten minutes. As Shepard slid her keycard across the magnetic lock, Sam couldn’t help but notice the state of the establishment. While it wasn’t particularly ratty, it certainly wasn’t luxury. She’d always pictured Commander Shepard as living in a high-end apartment overlooking the Silversun Strip, not a corner hotel in the Wards.

Nonetheless, it all served its purpose. The two of them stepped inside the room, which was a bit nicer than the hallway it sat in. Sam couldn’t readily see any particular signs of decay on the walls, or rat droppings in any of the corners, which put it a step up from most buildings in the lower Wards.

“Give me one second here. You can wait in the den!” Shepard motioned to the small, tiled area that contained the bare essentials--a stove, a sink, some cabinets and a refrigerator, none of which were particularly remarkable, but were assumedly functional.

As Jane made for the refrigerator, Sam continued on to the den, taking a look around at the rather bare and uninteresting area. Fairly basic furniture sat, neatly arranged, around the room. A couch, a couple of reading chairs, a thin varnish that was pocked with poorly-disguised chips from the surface. Otherwise, the only decoration in the room was the nondescript holoscreen and the floor rug.

Without much to look at, Traynor swiftly began growing bored of waiting, although it’d only been a minute or so. Much to her delight, she heard Shepard approaching from behind. However, before she could turn around, she heard the woman speak, “Sit down on the couch and close your eyes, no peeking!”

Slightly confused, but nonetheless compliant, Sam approached the couch with closed eyes, feeling around in front of her for any obstructions before she sat down carefully, facing what she hoped was Shepard.

She could hear a slight shuffling in front of her before everything stilled, “Okay. Open them.” On the order, Traynor opened her eyes, only to be met with...a styrofoam box. Not even a particularly fancy one, large enough to hold a single cheeseburger and colored a sickly yellow. Using all her Oxford-obtained knowledge, she deduced without any help that she needed to open it.

  
Tentatively, the Specialist reached out and untucked the tab from the slot that held the lid in place--which promptly popped open on its own to reveal the same type of burger that Sam had left behind at the skycar a few days ago. Briefly, her surprise registered on her face before it split into a wide grin. “Oh my god! This...this is amazing! I  _ so  _ regretted leaving this behind! I could kiss you!” Her last sentence spilled out without much thought, and she didn’t give much afterwards to it, far too caught up in looking over her gift.

It was this distraction that gave way to the second surprise that followed after a few short moments. As she looked up to thank Shepard again, she was met instead with a pair of soft lips on her own, giving her a rather violent start. Getting her mind back into order as quickly as possible, she realized that Shepard had taken her words literally. Something that she was definitely  _ not _ complaining about. 

Although it only lasted a few seconds, the kiss felt like an eternity, eventually broken by Shepard and giving Traynor the chance to really get her bearings. Only then did she feel the hands on her waist, and only then did she see the light dusting of pink behind those freckles.

_ What was that?! _

_ I don’t know, what was it?! _

_ We didn’t do anything, right? _

_ No! I think that was her! _

_ I do too!  _

_...Well? What are we waiting for?  _

At the prompting of herself, Traynor leaned in again, this time initiating the kiss herself--which Jane didn’t resist. With both of them now on the same page, Sam was able to properly enjoy the sensation, shutting her eyes and allowing her other senses to take over. The Commander’s lips were much softer than she’d imagined, as were they warm. Everything she’d imagined they’d be, and more, since they were real. 

This time, their embrace lasted for several seconds longer before they broke it again, both of them now grinning stupidly.   
“So…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I did end that on a cliffhanger. Feel free to eviscerate me in the comments!


	7. Park

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long! I've had an incredibly rough time of it the past few weeks, and I'm still not totally through said rough time. I'm working on it though, and I really wanted to get this chapter out!

“So…” Sam shifted, looking down at the burger she was holding in her hands and slowly closing the lid, setting it aside. Her face was, undoubtedly, the deepest shade of red it could possibly be. Even without seeing it, the fact that it was hotter than the surface of Mercury was a dead giveaway to her appearance. “So...that….happened!” She exclaimed, rather pathetically, trying to pull them out of the awkward--yet oddly comfortable--silence that they both occupied.

With a slight snicker, Shepard nodded and stood up, that dusting of pink a slightly darker shade now. The commander ran her fingers across the side of her own face and to her neck, clearing her throat and looking around. “It did! Should...uh...do you want to go?” The spectacularly awkward Shepard quickly amended herself, before Traynor could be hurt, “I mean, if you have somewhere to be. Right now.”

Grinning slightly, the Specialist stood up, leaving the burger behind on the couch, now mostly forgotten. “I actually don--” Suddenly, her eyebrows shot up and she tensed so hard that she physically felt the muscle in her arm pull. “Shit! I forgot, I have the...shit! I do have to go!” Sam started scrambling around, gathering her things, along with the burger, before turning back to Jane, looking slightly dishevelled. “If you want to come you can! We just have to stop by my apartment first.”

Although her blinking and hesitation made Sam worry she was about to be rejected, that was quickly assuaged by Shepard’s next words, “Uh...sure, why not. Wherever we’re going.” Before she could finish her second sentence, Traynor had grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her towards the door, pushing it open and slamming it shut behind her.

“Good! Come on, we don’t have a lot of time! My apartment’s just down the street, let’s go!” As soon as the two hit the street, Sam took off, sprinting across the Wards in the direction of the apartments with a speed that left Shepard having to catch up.

With little time to be winded or worried about the pain in her arm, Traynor ran as if she were in a marathon being chased by Varren to the entrance of the apartments on the Wards. Skidding to a stop and nearly tripping over her own feet, she barreled through the double doors and ascended the stairs two at a time with barely any thought to Shepard who was...somewhere behind her.

Even before she reached her door, she fished the keycard out of her back pocket and slapped it onto the magnetic reader, shoving the door open with her shoulder and dumping her things on the dining table as she passed it, rounding the corner to her room and leaving the door wide open. Only then did she remember Shepard was trying to follow her and likely got lost, but that gave her very little pause as she began stripping down to her skivvies and pulling her prepared outfit out of the small closet. Careful to keep it intact and neat, she pulled it on and hastily buckled and strapped the respective mechanisms. Snatching what was left of her to grab, Sam once again bolted out of the apartment, slamming the door shut behind her and practically jumping down the staircases, checking her omni-tool for the time. 

By now, sweat had begun to drip from her face, forcing her to wipe her eyes clear as she continued for the doors. Luckily enough, Shepard stood just outside of the door, looking around in a confused manner for the mysterious disappearing woman. Taking the opportunity, Traynor grabbed her by the arm and pulled her along behind. “Come on come on! We’re going to be late!” The tone in her voice had lost all the playfulness it’d held just back at the motel, replaced now with an urgency. 

Ignoring all the protests from passerby, she continued towards the skycar kiosk, nearly roaring as she spotted a sharp-dressed man attempting to board a docked skycar. Afforded an extra boost of speed, she grabbed him and threw him aside with the strength of a geeky girl who had basic military training. Thankfully enough.

Punching in her destination with her knuckle and smearing sweat all over the display, she made sure Shepard was in before setting them on their course, finally giving herself a chance to rest. Slumping back in the chair, seconds turned into hours as she tried to catch her breath and wipe the sweat from her face and eyes, thankfully assisted by the conditioned air of the taxi. 

After what felt like several minutes--but was likely several seconds--she looked over to see Shepard eyeing her with an odd look, the tip of her tongue poking from the corner of her mouth as she scanned Traynor’s outfit. “Why are you dressed like…” Her eyes drew a line from her torso up to her ears, “an...elf?” 

Traynor turned her attention to the redhead beside her, scowling indignantly and looking down at her outfit, “I’m not just an elf, don’t you recognize me?!” She stared at Shepard, the blank look recieved back answering her question rather adequately, “I’m Inquisitor Lavellan!” Yet more blank looks before she simply gave a huff and threw her hands up. “Nevermind!” Although she was slightly irritated, for the most part, it was just harmless teasing. 

Soon after the little ‘spat’, the skycar pulled into the dock and the two disembarked, approaching the entrance to the theme park that would likely be a fire hazard in any place other than space. Lights flooded the walks for several feet from within and loud harpsichord music could be heard from within. Outside milled a crowd of people of various races, all dressed in earth fantasy costumes, from Turians to Asari. Above the ticket booths stood a large sign in neon letters, written with a Gothic font: “Inquisitor’s - Fantasy Theme Park!”

“Oh. My. God.” Shepard muttered under her breath not feet from Sam, either terror or confusion on her face. Possibly a mix of both. Disregarding it, Traynor grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the nearest ticket stand. “You said you wanted to come with me! Come on!” She seemed rather excited, while Shepard seemed torn between resisting and following along.

  
“Oh no...oh no no no!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, yes, another cliffhanger so soon. Like I said, I'm dealing with a lot of stuff and my enthusiasm for writing comes and goes.
> 
> Hopefully the next one won't take 8 days to get out xD


	8. Park 2 - Electric Boogaloo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow hey look this idiot finally posted the next chapter three fucking months later.

One of Jane’s feet seemed to try and dig into the smooth floor, while the other tried to carry the weight of her whole body. Despite her most desperate attempts, Jane couldn’t make up her mind and she tripped over her warring legs, toppling to the ground.

Now far too focused on the promise of a theme park ahead of her, Traynor didn’t miss a beat and dragged the flailing Commander along behind her. Although they were drawing several strange looks from the parkgoers, she kept soldiering right along until they were both at the ticket booth. While Shepard took the chance to right herself and make sure she hadn’t suffered too many internal injuries, Sam stepped up to the ticket booth, grabbing the attention of the severely overweight ticketmaster, or “Gatekeeper”, as his nametag identified him. “Yes, hi! Here’s the tickets.” She produced two cards from her bag, swiping the magnetic strips across the sensor, both of which produced a green light accompanied by a  _ ding!  _ Only able to nod with a mouthful of popcorn, the ticketmaster buzzed them both through.

“C’mon!” Traynor pushed through the turnstile and Shepard began to follow suit, thankful for her chance to move away from the crowded line full of people in outfits she only barely understood. This effort, however, was stymied by five sausage-esque fingers gripping her by the wrist. “You can’t go in without a costume!” The ticketmaster had yet to finish chewing and ended up spewing bits of soggy popcorn  across Shepard’s face and BDUs. The two stared intensely at each-other for a good few moments before the Commander reached into his booth and grabbed the lonesome top hat from his desk and placing it on top of her head. “I’m the Wizard of Broken Fingers and if you don’t let go of me I’ll show you some of my magic.” Her voice was deadpan as she tried to ignore the bits of chewed-up food on her face. The threat--such as it was--seemed to work as the man let go of her hand quickly and let her through the gate to a Traynor who was waiting with a wet rag.

The two exchanged glances that seemed to say “ew” as Traynor toweled the bits of food from Jane’s face. For what felt simultaneously like a split second and an eternity, the two made eye contact and Sam’s cleaning slowed to a crawl before the two blushed and broke their respective gazes, Traynor draping the cloth over a nearby railing for some poor, underpaid worker to come grab later.

“Right, Ms. Wizard. Follow me, I don’t want to be late for this.” Sam reached out to grab Shepard’s hand again but stalled this time, blinking rapidly before pulling her hand away and turning to begin deeper into the park.

The whole place was a veritable maze, with buildings of old English architecture lining the steel floors that were painted to look like cobblestone, numerous foul-smelling people in various states of undress, and the sound of a harpsichord playing from some far-off speaker. The whole thing was...unimmersive, to say the least, but at the very least it looked entertaining as Jane tried to catch eyefuls of whatever lay inside the buildings that whizzed by as Traynor picked up the pace. 

It wasn’t long before they both reached the place they were obviously supposed to be. A semi-open area near the back of the park, clear of all but a small group of people in very authentic-looking costumes. From what Shepard could tell, a Turian, an Asari, and two humans, all surprisingly good-looking, judging by what she’d seen of the park on her way through.

“Aaaand here we are! Hey guys!” Sam waved to the group, who all turned around in unison, waving back to Traynor in their own...special ways. Really, they were just odd-looking hand signals and words in a language her translator didn’t recognize, which Sam returned. “Guys, this is Comm--this is...Rasala Tasienus, Mage of Pain.”

Jane blinked slowly and glanced over at Traynor, seconds later realizing that they were waiting for her to address them. “Uh… oh. Yeah, I’m… Rash… uh… Rashlala Ta...tae...what she said, and I’m really… good. At pain.” It was obvious she was out of her element here, shifting awkwardly and scanning her surroundings in an attempt to avoid looking directly at any of them. Although she still wasn’t entire clear on what was going on, she could give it an educated guess.

The first to step forward was the Turian, who took her hand and kissed the back of it. “Fair Rasala, it is the finest of pleasures to make your acquaintance.” He spoke in a surprisingly regal and courteous tone, something which knocked Jane off-balance.

“Oh, and… you too as well.” Realizing her mistake a bit too late, she simply rolled with it, shrugging it off and bowing awkwardly to him, pressing one hand to the base of her sternum and using the other to hold the top hat on her head. 

The other three didn’t seem particularly interested in such regal introductions and simply bowed from where they were. Silence fell over the group for a good few seconds before the Turian spoke up again, “Inquisitor, step forward with your companion. Your trial by combat begins now.”

Once again, Jane blinked rapidly, attempting to process what was said before it clicked into place in her mind. Slowly, she turned her head to Sam, who was giving her an attempt at a lovely smile, but in reality was a smile through clenched teeth and a nervous look in her eye. Shepard stared for a good while before finally speaking in a hushed whisper, “I am so going to get you for this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so I finally did it. Judging by how long this took, expect the next one by 2020. Hopefully this is good enough to tide you over DAD


	9. Duel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey cool cool I actually managed to do something! I honestly don't know how good this is because I'm beyond tired, but here it is! Judge it as you will.

Sam leaned in, in response to Shepard’s whisper, her tone taking on a pleading note to it, “Just...go easy on them, okay? They don’t have military training.” Traynor shifted nervously, brushing an errant strand out of her eye  and stepping forward into the ‘ring’, which proudly displayed the park’s logo--a red eye with a sword slotted through the top. 

Clearing his throat cordially, the Turian stepped forward, clasping his hands behind his back beneath the paludamentum that hung from his shoulders. As he began pacing back and forth, his mandibles flared and he began speaking. “The Council of Mercurius has taken into consideration your transgressions against this organization. You have been permitted a single chance to prove your worth to us. You and your magus companion are bound by only one rule: no deaths will be had this day.” The Turian stepped back once again among the group. “You will be given one minute to prepare for the fight ahead. Should you require weapons, we have brought spares.” He pointed to a pile of replica swords, axes, and staffs. 

As soon as he’d stopped talking, Shepard turned her back to the group, staring hard at Traynor, “A fight. We are going to fight these people. With...real weapons?” She shot a concerned glance at the pile of weapons to the side of the ‘dueling circle’ . “I was trained to fight with guns, not swords, Sam.”

The specialist shook her head quickly in response, patting the sword hanging from her hip. “No no no, not real at all, promise. They’re replicas but the edges are dull. Harmless as...well, maybe not a  _ fly _ because you could still technically kill someone with it but...anyway! It should be fine. Hopefully.” 

Though unconvinced, a cry of “Thirty seconds!” from behind the two set Jane into motion and she spun around, scurrying over to the weapons pile and digging through it until she found something she thought she could use well enough. A double-edged, weighted longsword. It was no omni-blade, but it was the closest thing she could find to one. Satisfied enough with her pick, she joined Traynor back in the circle.

“Hopefully the both of you are prepared, for your time has elapsed. Spirits’ luck to you.” The Turian motioned to the Asari who flanked him, who produced what looked to be a very expensive blade from her back. The thing was longer than the woman’s arm and emblazoned with needless flair. Strangely enough, Sam had the same thing, only slightly visually distinct from the Asari’s in that the gem embedded in the hilt was a deep emerald rather than sapphire, and the hilt was a cloudy silver. In comparison, Jane’s blade was an M-3 Predator in a Phalanx convention--inferior in every imaginable way. 

Caught up in her own little world, Shepard almost missed the start of the fight as the Asari charged her full-force, blade raised for an attack. Acting on almost pure instinct and sudden adrenaline, Jane ducked the blade and went for a strike to the back of the knee, which was seemingly predicted and avoided deftly, countered with a boot to the face. Oddly enough, however, the Asari’s foot stopped just short of Shepard’s face, creating a bit of an odd situation as she tried to figure out what was happening before it clicked in her brain and she grunted, falling back in the most cheesy way possible, flailing her arms. 

Somewhere in the ring, she could hear Sam stifle a snort and the whole gathering freeze before it all ground back into motion, the fight beginning once again like clockwork.  Traynor distracted the Asari to draw her attention to a recovering Shepard, who leapt to her feet and held her blade in a way she perceived as ‘defensive’, although it looked like she was afraid of it. 

As the two battled like clockwork, Jane shuffled her feet awkwardly, trying to find a way in without disrupting the display. Ultimately, however, the battled seemed not hers to fight as she felt something cold press against her throat and slide across a mere moment later. Thankfully keyed into the performance, she collapsed to the ground like a sack of potatoes, falling onto her back and going still.

From somewhere out of sight, she could hear a body falling and Samantha shouting, “No! You monsters!” The Asari spoke in turn, the distinct sound of her armored footsteps reaching Jane’s ears. 

“Inquisitor, you are a fool. To think you could betray us and be met with fairness?” A moment of silence passed as she heard people shifting positions before the Turian spoke up, “Take her to the dungeons and see that the magistrate set an execution date, yes? I will alert the men.” Sounds of a struggle were heard before someone began clapping.

“Excellent, good show!” One of the humans was evidently speaking in a thick Russian accent, his footfalls echoing in Shepard’s ear as he approached and held out his hand to her. “Thank you for joining us, Commander. Even if...you didn’t get to do much.” He chuckled awkwardly as Jane took his hand and pulled herself to her feet. 

“Yeeeeeah, well I didn’t really know what I was doing anyway.” She laughed and rubbed her neck, glancing over to Traynor, who was beaming as well. 

“Ah don’t worry Commander! We were all like that one time.” He clapped her on the shoulder, shaking her hand. “Don’t hesitate to come back if you ever want to learn, da?” The question seemed to be rhetorical as he turned back to join his group, Sam taking her chance to approach her.

“Well, that was that, yeah? Told you it wouldn’t take long!”

_ No you didn’t. You didn’t tell her that. _

_...Shit, I didn’t, did I? _

“Uh, anyway! C’mon, let’s go get something to eat, I’m starved! Unless you want to go home, which is...also an option. Which you probably want to do, right?” Sam chewed on her lower lip as she watched Shepard chuckle.

_ Why’s she laughing? I didn’t accidentally moan or something, right? _

Her nerves were cured as Jane nodded and took of the top hat and tossed it to the ground, motioning towards the park’s exit. 

\---/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/--

After saying their farewells, the two boarded a skycar headed to their destination in the wards--the same restaurant they’d visited a few days back. As expected, Sam ordered that same thing she had before, but thankfully kept her reactions contained this time around. 

_ Ahhh, learning curves. Gotta love ‘em. _

“So, you...mind telling me what all that was about? I never really got a straight answer.” Shepard spoke between fries, focused more on them than the half-eaten chicken sandwich in front of her. 

“Mmmn!” Sam hummed through a mouthful of burger, clearing her mouth and taking a sip of her drink before attempting to speak. “Yeah sorry about that, I should’ve explained. I have a little roleplaying thing going on with friends of mine from Oxford based on a few of our favorite games and some original stuff mashed up. I could go on about it for a while but I’m pretty sure you’re not interested.” She cleared her throat and took another bite of her food, her eyes nearly rolling back in her head.

Both desperate to stop her and wanting to make her happy, Jane shook her head and made a circle with her hand, “Hey now, don’t say that. I’d love to hear about it.” She promptly folded her arms on the table and waited for Sam to start talking, which she did almost immediately.

And, almost as soon as it’d started, most of Shepard’s brain tuned out as she stared at her, occasionally making interested noises. Although she  **was** genuinely interested, she couldn’t stop looking at Sam’s face--specifically, her lips. Parts of her brain were collecting and storing the information, but most of it was running wild with imagination.

_ God, she’s so pretty. Did we make up that kiss, because it kinda feels like we did. It’s way too good to be true if it actually did happened. Hold on. We’re not in the Matrix are we? I feel like a face like that can only be programmed in. Or maybe I’m just overthinking things, which I probably am. I just can’t get over how cute she is. Even if I don’t understand a lick of the shit she’s interested in… I wonder if I could read up on some of the stuff, impress her next time we go out.  _

“...and that’s how the orcs took over the Tower of Sra’jnaul and why they plague the land. Our current story is  _ way _ more complicated, though. This campaign has been going for almost a year. I can tell you about it another time.” She gave a genuine, enthusiastic smile that nearly made Shepard’s heart catch on fire. 

_ Okay now we’re just being weird, aren’t we? _

“Well I can’t wait to hear it.” Jane stood up, looking for a way out before she managed to embarrass herself. “Unfortunately, though, I’ve got to head back to my apartment. I’ve got a  _ long _ day tomorrow and I should  _ probably _ get some sleep. I’ll...see you later, right?” She perked a brow, trying to look nonchalant. How the turntables had…

…

Turned.

“Yeah of course! Can’t wait!” Sam grinned wider and stood up to hug Shepard, who returned it with gusto. The two shot each-other a smile before Jane turned to exit the diner, leaving Traynor with the burger she loved more than life.


	10. Boarding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the last chapter of Garden of Eden! Hope you guys enjoy the completed work, it's been a whole lot of procrastinating to me but I enjoyed it either way!

Jane pressed her weight harder against the Presidium railings, gazing out over the lake and pristine statues. All around her, the bustle of veteran soldiers returning from their shore leave and the excited chatter of wide-eyed recruits filled her ears. Shuttles docking only remained for moments before departing to the docking area as troops filed onboard. 

Shepard’s bags weighed heavy on her shoulders and back, heavier than before. This had been the best leave of her life, and she was reluctant to give it up. Still, she had her duties as a Commander, and being onboard the Normandy was far more important than her love life, no matter how much she wanted to stay with Samantha.

Feeling a bit of a lump rising in her throat, Shepard shifted and coughed, snapping out of her pensive state and rejoining the crowd of soldiers. The boarding shuttles were still cycling through dreadnaughts and frigates. The schedule put the Normandy’s boarding a short few minutes from then, but with all the people, Jane wouldn’t be surprised if it would end up backed up by a few hours.

_ We had a good time here, Jane. We still have her omni-tool channel, I’m sure it won’t be too difficult to give her a call whenever you’re lonely. _

_ If only. Since when have long distance relationships worked out? _

Her internal struggle was cut off by a call from somewhere behind her, a voice she recognized. Knowing her tendency to hallucinate, she brushed it off, ignoring the next few cries until it carried her name. Now far too curious, she whipped around in the general direction of the calls, locking eyes with the one person she didn’t expect to see in the crowd.

“Commander!” Samantha called out, similarly loaded down with bags which slowed her jog towards Jane. “Commander, I didn’t know you were shipping out today! Why didn’t you tell me?” 

_ But wait...you didn’t say anything to her either. _

_ I know! Still...shut it! _

“I could say the same to you.” Shepard’s voice carried a tone of brevity to it, indicating that it probably wasn’t as big of an issue as Sam was making it out to be.

The two stood in relative silence for a few moments before Jane spoke up again, “I guess this is it, huh? It was a fun shore leave, but…”

Sam’s anxiety kicked in as soon as she heard that word, internally panicking while externally wearing a smile.

_ Shit shit shit, she’s going to break up with you!  _

“I guess the Alliance doesn’t like us being on vacation.” Shepard shrugged lightly, jostling the bags that hung on her back.

Taken by surprise, Traynor blinked a few times before getting back on track. “Uh...yeah, I guess so.” She forced a laugh in the most obvious way possible, wringing her hands and running the tip of her tongue along the backs of her teeth. “I guess we’ll… have to call then?” She tried to ask as nonchalantly as possible in an attempt to mask the crippling fear she was feeling. All of which was swept away when Jane responded with an upbeat “Yep!”

All at once, she felt the tension that’d been building release from her shoulders as she could relax and genuinely smile for the first time since she’d arrived. However, as she parted her lips to say something, Shepard’s fob beeped, eliciting a wince from the Commander. “Damn… that’s my shuttle. I’ll call you.” She smiled and stood there for a moment before making a move that took Sam by surprise.

Taking Traynor’s soft hand in her calloused one, she leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips, soft and tender. It was a moment that they’d shared almost a week prior, but now they could both enjoy it. And, although it should’ve lasted an eternity, it lasted only a fleeting moment before she pulled back, gave a genuine smile, and disappeared into the crowd along with everyone else boarding their ships.

“See you on the other side, Jane.” Sam muttered with a grin and happy tears in her eyes, taking a spot against the railing and sighing deeply as she lay in wait for her number to be called.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, this isn't the end of the Shaynor storyline set up in this one. I won't spoil anything, but expect more in the form of another story soon!


End file.
